TV SPORTS

TV SPORTS; Channel-Surfing for Sound Bites From the Subway Series

By Richard Sandomir

Published: June 8, 1999

If the Mets-Yankees series provided a battleground for bragging rights -- and how long will the Mets boast of bombing Roger Clemens on Sunday? -- it also offered a clash of commentary Friday night when Channel 5's Tim McCarver and Bobby Murcer and Fox Sports New York's Howie Rose and Fran Healy called the game. Here is an inning-by-inning analysis:

FIRST INNING -- Healy tells a funny story about George Steinbrenner firing Syd Thrift as his general manager for trading Rickey Henderson (although in truth, Thrift resigned, mostly over not supporting the dismissal of Manager Dallas Green). McCarver notes that Mets catcher Mike Piazza is having trouble throwing. Rose labels Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez, who has dyed his hair, Le Petit Orange.

SECOND INNING -- McCarver and Murcer offer a better analysis of the Mets' placing Brian McRae and Bobby Bonilla on irrevocable waivers, but Healy has the best line: ''Irrevocable waivers is an insult to a player. Your team can't pull you back.'' While promoting an on-line contest to name the best player to have played for the Yankees and Mets, Healy mistakenly implies that the Yankees' starting pitcher, David Cone, went directly from the Mets to the Yankees. Rose saves him by recalling that Cone spent intervening years with Toronto and Kansas City.

THIRD INNING -- When Piazza doubles and dives headfirst into second base, Healy said uncritically that it reminded him of how the catcher hurt his knee in April. But McCarver castigates the move. ''There's no sense in it,'' McCarver said. Murcer added, ''He had plenty of time to slide feet first.''

FOURTH INNING -- Compare McCarver's view of Ordonez's free-swinging to Rose's. McCarver: ''He's a high-ball swinger but not a high-ball hitter.'' Rose: ''He is not going to do much with a ball up there.''

Rose smartly asks, ''Does a home-plate umpire give up on a pitch the way a batter does?'' then answers his question, ''If he does, Joe Brinkman did.''

FSNY flashes back to the Mets' winning the first Mayor's Trophy exhibition game against the Yankees in 1963, and a monologue by Manager Casey Stengel.

FIFTH INNING -- Channel 5 wins the battle of flashbacks when it shows a clip of the Yankees coach Don Zimmer batting as a Met in 1962, when he was the expansion franchise's first third baseman.

For the first time, but not the last, Healy lazily fails to name the players turning a double play. ''Four to six to three,'' he said.

SIXTH INNING -- Healy notes correctly that ''both managers would like to see this series go away,'' but FSNY stays in replay mode while Mets Manager Bobby Valentine argues that Brian McRae would have scored on a ground-rule double. Channel 5 showed Valentine's protest.

Healy on a Chili Davis double play: ''Here's a ground ball, tailor-made. It's four to six to three. Double play.'' (That's Edgardo Alfonzo to Rey Ordonez to John Olerud, Fran.)

SEVENTH INNING -- McCarver and Murcer question Valentine's decision to walk the Yankees' Derek Jeter to face Paul O'Neill. Healy rationalizes the move by saying, ''O'Neill hasn't been swinging the bat the way Jeter has.'' Healy and McCarver note that O'Neill has hit three home runs against reliever Dennis Cook, who induces him to fly out. FSNY rolls a replay of an interleague game last year when O'Neill homered against the right-hander Mel Rojas. Rose says Rojas came in because Leiter got hurt, and Dennis Cook was unavailable to relieve, but neglects to add that Brian Bohanon was warming up at the time, which Murcer remembers.

EIGHTH INNING -- With Tino Martinez at second for the Yankees and Armando Benitez in relief against Jorge Posada, McCarver expresses shock that Piazza is flashing only one sign (for a fastball away), rather than going through a sequence that could not be picked up by Martinez. Healy, a former catcher like McCarver, merely mentioned, ''He's got to throw that fastball.''

NINTH INNING -- After Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera hits Henderson in the left elbow, McCarver surmises quickly that if Henderson cannot keep playing, the only player Valentine can send to the outfield if the Mets tie the score is Todd Pratt, a catcher. Then Murcer notes that Henderson was holding his left elbow while taking his lead and McCarver speculates on whether the painful elbow would have an impact on Henderson's ability to slide headfirst. Healy offers his immediate diagnosis that Henderson had the immediate flexibility to slide headfirst and would have problems only if he wanted to do so ''in three hours.''

''A compelling game with the Yankees finally coming out on top,'' Rose said to conclude the 4-3 Yankee victory.

''It's the best $160 million in payrolls can bring you,'' Murcer said.

Airwaves

With 667,650 television households, San Antonio is the smallest market to make the National Basketball Association finals since Fort Wayne played Philadelphia 44 years ago. But San Antonio is only 40,000 households smaller than Salt Lake City, which played in the past two finals. . . . With Doc Rivers leaving TNT to coach the Orlando Magic, the cable network could hire Mike Fratello, the recently fired Cleveland coach, as his replacement and team him again with Marv Albert.